Upwards of 10,000 Ukrainian troops are at risk of encirclement along the Kursk front as a result of recent Russian advances that have choked remaining supply lines and escape points, according to recent reports from the front. In 2024, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a surprise attack on Russian territory in the Kursk Oblast. In order to do so, the Ukrainian Armed Forces diverted limited resources from the nation’s east in order to launch an operation that, according to Russian and Eurasian affairs expert Glenn Diesen, was designed as publicity move for western audiences.